Dr T K Alex, Member, Space Commission, was the Director of URSC from June 2008 to June 2012. He has accomplished many successful missions during his tenure as director which includes Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to the Moon.

He contributed to the Mars Orbiter Mission as the Chairman of Scientific and Technical Review Committee.

Dr Alex has made significant contributions to the development of all Indian satellites starting from the very first Indian satellite Aryabhata. He is a Gold Medallist in Electrical Engineering from Kerala University, obtained his Master's degree in Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai and holds a Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Dr Alex started his career in ISRO as an electrical engineer at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvanathapuram in 1971 and later joined URSC. At URSC, he significantly contributed to the development of the SMART camera carried onboard Rohini RS-D2 satellite, remote sensing experiment conducted during the Indo-Soviet Joint Manned Spaceflight and Indian Remote Sensing Satellites. Under Dr Alex's leadership, ISRO's Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems (LEOS) was established in Bangalore in 1993 and from the inception he was its director till 2008. During his tenure as Director, LEOS, he was responsible for the development of electro optic sensors for Indian satellites as well as high-resolution camera optics for Indian Remote Sensing satellites. From July 2012, he is a "Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor" at ISRO Headquarters.

He is a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), National Academy of Science, India (NASI) and the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, India (IETE) and a life member of ASI and Instrument Society of India. He is a fellow of the Optical Society of India and he was its President from 2010 to 2011.

Dr Alex has received many awards for his outstanding contributions in the field of science and technology. Dr Alex was awarded the Padmashri in 2007, Distinguished Achievement Award of ISRO in 2008 and Aryabhata Award -2015 for his significant contributions for over four decades. Other awards received include the IMDA award for the development of Infrared sensors and the Hari Om Ashram Vikram Sarbhai award (1987), Astronautical Society of India Award, ISRO Team Achievement Award and Indian Science congress - Gold Medal.

He also served as the Member of Space Commission which formulates the policy for Department of Space.